Training Camp Preview: An Interview With Visanthe Shiancoe

"You don't mind if I eat during this do you," Visanthe Shiancoe asked at the beginning of our phone call. I said I didn't mind. I lied. It was very distracting. I kept wondering what he was eating. My money was on some kind-of pasta.

He does his own dishes, by the way. Or at least rinses them.

Anyway, who was I to say anything, especially since he was the one taking time out of his day to answer questions. Questions about last season, next season, Brad Childress, the possible lockout, and yes, Brett Favre.

Shiancoe is a seven-year veteran tight end from Morgan State University. He was drafted by the New York Giants in 2003 and signed with the Minnesota Vikings three years ago. Last season, he set career-highs in receptions and touchdowns while the Vikings enjoyed their most prolific and painful season in years. But that was last season.

"Brick by brick, we have to keep building."

Click on to read what Visanthe Shiancoe has to say...

...about last season's NFC Championship game loss

I don’t know if you can get over it. You can accept it. I accepted it as soon as it was over. I’m not over it, though. You learn from it, the obvious, the turnovers. Six or seven? You take those out and you know what you have.

We were built for the Super Bowl. We felt that way, the fans felt that way, the rest of the NFL felt that way.

It was disappointing not to live up to the potential. But with the team we have, being more in sync this year, we can achieve more this year.

...about the Vikings pass offense

The four main pass catchers caught over 50 passes last year. Adrian, Chester, they both caught over 40 balls. Spreading around the ball that much, who can defenses key in on?

The Saints were in-and-out on Percy, high-and-low on Sidney. So me and Bernard were one-on-one. That one drive I had, what, three catches for sixty-some yards? Everyone has a turn to step up in this offense. Everyone has to be ready to step up.

Whoever is not getting focused on, whoever has that one-on-one coverage, we trust that person to get open. And that player has to make a play. We require that of each other.

...about Brett Favre

If these people raggin’ on him are fans of NFL football, not Pop Warner football, but NFL football with grown men who don’t take prisoners, and they were playing when they were 40...let’s just see how much time they would need to see if they could play.

Nobody’s playing no games with you. Sean Taylor lit up a kicker in a Pro Bowl game because he felt like lighting his ass up. Look at the championship game. There was a little extra going on, and Favre wasn't spared one bit.

I hope he is coming back. One thing about Favre, he knows how to orchestrate this type of offense. He’s been in it a long time. Everyone would like for him to come back, but he’s got to do what’s best for his family.

I know the competitor inside of him will not allow, if he is psychically able, for his legacy to end with us losing in the NFC championship game.

...about Adrian Peterson

We have walkthroughs before lunch, then practice. Walkthrough is jogging, but people don’t even tell Adrian to slow down during it anymore. He is always full speed. It’s just in his nature. Walkthroughs he’s full speed, almost running me and a couple lineman over.

What you see on the field is connected to what he does off the field in getting prepared. You’re seeing the result of his hard work.

Near the end of the season, at the end of the season after a practice, for him to get in the weight room and squat 405 pounds, sets of ten, you know what kind of guy you’re getting.

...about Brad Childress

I asked him about this, "Why do you sound so boring in your interviews, so monotone? Why you act like that?" Because the coach we know is upbeat, telling jokes left and right. Just so talkative and interactive and involved.

You know, funny. He’s a talkative guy.

Preparation-wise, he’s more interactive with the players. We communicate. “Do you like this type of play? Would you prefer this?” He understands we’re the ones on the field and our input is relevant. He takes that approach and comes up with a lot of good plays and schemes.

Him and Bevell, and on defense Frazier, I think the openness - the walk-in, open-door policy with us - is definitely a factor with the success and the environment. It’s a great environment to work in, very loose and relaxed.

At the same time, we bust our butts and work very hard when it’s time to work. We relax after we work. That’s an advantage of having a veteran team, we motivate ourselves.

...about Toby Gerhart replacing Chester Taylor

Chester was a very important part of the offense. The screens, the third downs, ran terrific routes. He made plays. He’s an all-around player. Run blocking, running the ball, catching the ball, run after the catch.

I haven’t really seen Toby play. It’s a different game and a different system. This is the NFL, number one. Got to see how it plays out in camp. I have seen some highlights, he seems like a very efficient runner. Looks like he packs a lot of punch, he’s boxy.

It’s a big void to fill, but at the same time that’s the offensive coordinator's job, to find the best way to put our team in position to win. We might have a different style with Gerhart in the game, and we might be very efficient.

...about Tarvaris Jackson

Being behind Favre last year was one of the best things to happen to him. He got to see a guy at a high level for a long time and see the ins-and-outs of getting to that level.

On top of that, the whirlwind stopped. It is a lot being a quarterback, especially a young one, having a whole franchise on your back at that age. It’s good to just watch and learn sometimes.

In OTAs and minicamps, he’s making better decisions. He's more poised, doesn't rush things. You don’t see him get easily rattled or panic.

...about his twitter "feud" with Darren Sharper

We’re both competitors. He was my lockermate for two years. We know each other well, we hang out. But on the field, we are definitely 100 percent competitors and wanting to win.

A little smack talk is all. You’re just seeing what goes on behind the scenes.

...about the Vikings defense

EJ Henderson is the hardest hitter, but he doesn’t really hit people in practice. I’m glad he doesn't. I hope he'll be back for the start of the season, but we'll see.

Jasper, coach had to tell him to slow down a bit in practice, stop lighting so many people up.

I only block defensive ends, I don’t block the interior, but if I did Pat would be the hardest to block.

Ray is a very good run stopper, solid run anchor. Pretty big dude to control.

...about a possible 2011 NFL Lockout

A lockout means there’s going to be no income or revenue for the teams or NFL. For them to fight over that one percent or three percent or whatever...me, personally, I wouldn't give up over 90 percent of my income just to try to salvage three percent.

We’ll see what happens. I hope there won’t be a lockout. It’s not fair to the fans.

...about next season

This is the NFL. You never know who is going to emerge out of the blue. That is one of the best things about the NFL, the unexpected. Teams that are ranked high or whatever might fall early and not be as good as expected. We have to control what we can control and that’s it.

We have to make sure we learn from mistakes we have made in the past. Build on that. You always have to build on adversity and what we’ve gone through. We have a solid foundation. A very, very solid foundation.

Stay humble. Treat each game like you lost the last one. We don’t want another Carolina game, another Steelers game, any game we lost. San Fran was a good ending, but we don’t want to have close, close games constantly.

Our aim is to be definitively the better team in every game.

...about his personal goals for next season

Some people say, “Shank, you had a good year." But it goes in one ear and out the other.

I left so many plays out there. I know my potential, and I feel like every year if you’re hungry and can find a way to not stay content and set the bar higher, that’s where you need to be in order to compete with the best.

I think I left about five touchdowns out there. Run after the catch, need to improve on that. I feel like I could improve every year. God willing, I’ll have a better year next year.

I'm preparing for the season. Starting in July it gets really, really intense. Turning it up, total exhaustion, total exertion. Building muscle, endurance, explosion, quickness.

I’m preparing my body to do what my mind tells it to do at the exact moment my minds tells it to, like when I make a cut. A half-step can equal a big play or touchdown.

What I do guarantee, I guarantee that there will be 110 percent effort and I will take advantage of every play I get. I will guarantee that.

You can find and tweet Visanthe at: twitter.com/vshiancoe.